Advertisers Missing a Trick with Lack of Targeting for Over 50s

The lack of advertisements aimed towards members of the older generation has been scorned by a survey which values this group as the most economically powerful in Britain.

In a survey conducted by online publication High50, just 4% of participants over 50 believed that advertising is aimed directly at their age group.

A total of one in five went as far as highlighting their total exclusion from brand marketing, and companies have been warned about underestimating what could be a highly receptive group to target.

Ruling the roost

Insights from High50 paint a picture of an entire generation being overlooked by brands which could benefit massively from their custom. For instance, while it seems that certain consumer electronics firms are choosing to ignore older people in their marketing, the survey suggested that many stay connected with their families with laptops, smartphones and tablets.

As well as a mere 4% of over 50s believing that advertising is targeted towards their age group, just 11% feel brands are interested in them.

It is thought that 67% of over 50s with children aged 21 and over are still supporting their brood financially while allowing them to live at home. Yet despite the older generation still having a minor say in what their children purchase, High50 discovered that 66% of all advertising is aimed at 16-34 year olds.

James Burrows, CEO of High50, said it appears that advertisers are failing to cater for those with the most spending power.

Named and shamed

A number of big-named brands were condemned for their lack of ad material for over 50s, but it wasn’t the case for all. Nestled firmly in the good books, M&S, John Lewis and the BBC were found to be dedicating a reasonable amount of attention towards targeting the older generation.

When High50 took a poll for the amount of over 50s that felt they were targeted by the firms, M&S topped the table with 55%, John Lewis placed second on 38%, with the BBC managing third with 31%.

Though for the likes of Apple and Samsung (both on 5%) among others, the survey highlighted plenty of room for improvement.

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Richard Towey

Richard is a former head of content at PerformanceIN. After many years spent covering developments from the automotive, sports, travel and finance sectors, he eventually turned his full attention to reporting on stories from the fast-evolving world of digital marketing.